Game apparatus.



PATENTEDAPRZS} 1907. L. J. GASTONGUAY. GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2, 1906.

- N V E N 7 0/? leyerffaawizyaag WITNESSES 4: a

5 YM f If ATTORNEYS UNITED sra rns PATENT orrron.

LEGER JEROME CASTONGUAY, OF THOMPSONVILLE, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO HENRY STAPLES, OF STAMFORD,

CONNECTICUT.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEGER JEROME Cas- TONGUAY, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Thompsonville, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Game Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved game apparatus, more especially designed for playing parlor base ball, and arr nged to require considerable skill on the part of the players to successfully play the game, and to afford amusement for the players as well as the onlookers.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, which will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improvement; Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the batting device; Figs. 3 and 4 are perspective views of the adjoining ends of the sides of the frame; Fig. 5 is a per spective view of one of the base ball catchers, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the base ball and the runner balls used in the game.

The frame A of approximately diamondshape, is adapted to be placed on a floor, table or other suitable support, and is formed of the sides A, A A, A and the plate A fitting between the adjacent ends of the sides A and A, as plainly indicated in Fig. 1, the said sides and plate being removably connected with each other by suitable fastening devices such as hooks B and pins B, and

dowel pins B engage recesses B, as plainly indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. By the arrangement described the sides and plate can be readily taken apart and packed in a small bundle to take up little room when transporting or storing the apparatus. The corners of the frame are provided with recesses A, A A and A connected with each other by grooves A formed lengthwise on the top of the several sides, so as to connect the several recesses A, A A and A with each other. As shown in Fig. 1, the recess A is at the home base, while the recesses A A and A are at the first, second and third bases. Now in order to represent the run of a player from one base to another, runner balls C are used, contained at the beginning of the game in the home base recess A and propelled one at a, time by the batter or player from the recess A along the groove A in the side A to the recess A at the first base. /Vhen the player takes position at the first base he can then propel the ball from the recess A to the recess A along the groove A in the side A and the player after taking position on the second base can propel the ball along the recess A in the side A to the third recess A", and finally propel it from the latter along the groove A in the side A back to the home recess A.

On the plate A of the frame A is arranged the batting device D having a post D in which is mounted to turn a shaft D on the forward end of which is fulcrumed a miniature bat D adapted to strike a base ball E for propelling the same across the frame as hereinafter more fully described. The bat D is connected near its fulcrumed end by a link D with a hand lever D fulcrumed on the rear end of the shaft D and adapted to be taken hold of by the operator for turning the shaft D and for imparting a swinging motion to the bat D so that the batter having hold of the handle D can bring the bat D in the direction in which the base ball E is coming, at the same time imparting a swinging motion to the bat so as to bat the ball across the frame A. Now the ball E thus propelled by the bat D is ada ted to be caught in one of a number of catc ring cups F, preferably of conical shape, and provided with a handle F connected by a string or rope G with an eye H attached to a side of the frame A, it being understood that four such catching cups F are provided and connected with the different sides A, A A and A of the frame A, short distances from the first, second and third bases. The handles F of the different catching "cups F are taken hold of by the different players stationed outside of the frame Aand representing first base man, second base man, short stop, and third base man, and when the base ball E is propelled by the bat D then a player having a catching cup tries to catch the ball E in his cup F, the

sweep of the latter being limited by the corresponding cord or rope G.

In playing the game, the pitcher standing outside of the frame A throws the ball towards the bat D manipulated by th'e'batter, with a view to bat-the ball E out across the frame, the ball being caught by one of the players manipulating a corresponding receiving on F. In the meantime, the batter, after t e ball is propelled, rolls one of the runner balls C from the recess A alongthe groove A in the side A to the first base recess A and if the ball E reaches the cup F connected with the .side A and located adj acent to the first base and is depositedin the recess A then the batter is out and the runner ball C is taken from the groove A If, however, the ball E is not returned to. the cup adjacent to the first base previous to the runner ball C reaching the recess A then this runner ball remains there and the player is stationed alongside of the same or the player, if the chance is favorable, canpropel the ball to the next recess A on the second base, and so on, the same as the player of real base ball passes from one base to the other. If desired, a catcher having a handled cup F may be placed behind the pitcher to catch the ball E when not hit by the bat D From the foregoing it will be seen that by the arrangement described real base ball is closely imitated, and the rules governing base ball are followed as much as possible, it being understood that the runner ball 0 imitates the running from one base to the other, and when a runner ball 0 is returned to the home recess A then it counts for the playing side the same as in ordinarybase ball.

The game apparatus is very simple and durable in construction and affordsv considerable amusement to the players as well as the onlookers, and it requires considerable skill in successfully playing the game.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to securev by Letters Patent:

1. A game apparatus comprising a dia mond-shaped frame having bases at the cor ners, a batting device at the home base, and manually actuated catchingdevices having flexible connections with the frame to limit their sweep.

2. A game apparatus comprisingv a frame having bases, a batting device at the frame for sending a ball across the frame, manually actuated catching devices having a limited movement for catching the base ball, and manually projected runners adapted to travel along the frame from one base-to another.

3. A game apparatus comprising a diamond-shaped frame having bases at the corners, a batting device at the home base, manually actuated catching devices having flexible connections with the frame to limit their sweep, and runways on the sides of the frame from one base to another to allow a manually propelled runner ball to travel from one base to the other.

4. A game apparatus comprising a diamond-shaped frame having its corners provided with bases and its sides with runways for a runner ball to travel from one base to another, a batting device at the home base, and base ball catching devices attached to the frame to limit their sweep.

5. A game apparatus comprising a diamond-shaped frame provided at each corner with a recess and along each side with a groove from one recess to the othe a batting device at the home base of the frame, handled cups for catching the base ball, and flexible connections between the said handled cups and the said frame. 6. A game apparatus comprising a diamond-shaped frame provided at each corner with a recess and along each side with a groove from one recess to the other, a batting device at the home base of the frame, handled cups for catching the base ball, and strings connecting the handles of the said cups with the sides of the said frame.

7. A game apparatus comprising a diamond-shaped frame provided at each corner with a recess and along each side with a groove from one recess to the other, a batting device at the home base of the frame and provided with a base ball bat, a shaft mounted to turn and on which the said bat is fulcrumed, a handle fulcrumed on the said shaft for turning the latter, and a link connecting the said handle with the said bat for imparting a swinging motion thereto, handled cups for catching the base ball, and flexible connections between the said handled cups and the said frame.

8. A baseball game apparatus provided with a batting device comprising a bat, a shaft mounted to turn and on which the bat is fulcrumed, a handle fulcrumed on the said shaft, and a link connecting the said handle with the said bat.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEGER JEROME OASTONGUAY.

Witnesses:

F. B. RrvEs, HENRY STAPLES. 

